The present invention relates to an automatic teller machine (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cATMxe2x80x9d) and in particular to an ATM having a capability which is suitable for operation by a visually handicapped person.
A prior art ATM will be described with reference to FIG. 16. The ATM 1 comprises a customer operating touch panel 2 which is disposed on a table which is in the form of platen. Item keys 6 such as deposit, withdrawal, balance inquiry, passbook entry, cancel, yen/confirm, and barrier-free are initially displayed on the customer operating touch panel 2 as shown in FIG. 17. When any one of these item keys 6 is depressed, processing corresponding to the depressed item key 6 is enable. For example, when the item key 6 xe2x80x9cwithdrawalxe2x80x9d is depressed, an array of numeric ten keys, a thousand digit key 5 and a ten thousand digit key 5 as shown in FIG. 18 are displayed. The array of numeric ten keys 4 is adapted to enter numerals 1 to 0, and a thousand digit key 5 and a ten thousands digit key 5 are adapted to enter the digit of a thousand and ten thousands, respectively.
Some prior art ATMs are provided with a guide capability using braille type 8 as shown in FIG. 18 for enabling the visually handicapped person to operate it. That is, braille types representing relevant numerals and characters are embossed along the edge of the customer operating touch panel 2 which is adjacent to the arrayed numeric ten keys 4 and a thousand digit key 5 and a ten thousand digit key 5.
However, there is a problem that the visually handicapped person who is not capable of reading braille type can not operate the ATM through only guiding feature using braille type. Further, there is much to be desired even for the person capable of reading the braille type for operating the ATM alone without assistance of any other person. Namely, the braille type is limited only to the numeric keys and thus the item function keys cannot be operated without assistance of other person who can read them.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ATM having a guiding capability, which enables a visually handicapped person which can not read braille type to positively operate a customer operating touch panel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ATM with a higher ease of operation for the visually handicapped person.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, an automatic teller machine including a customer operating touch panel having a plurality of operating keys which are touched for actuation is wherein guide icons which are embossed to represent icons of operation keys (or function of each of operation keys) are provided at positions corresponding to said plurality of operation keys.
In a first embodiment, grooves on figured for guiding fingers, which extend from the guide icons to corresponding ones of the operating keys may be provided adjacent to the plurality of guide icons.
In a second embodiment, the plurality of operating keys may include item keys for specifying deposit, withdrawal, balance inquiry, passbook entry (or update), cancel, correct, confirm and barrier-free. The item keys are arrayed in a vertical direction on either sides of the customer operating touch panel and guiding projections (or grooves) may be provided adjacent to the guide icons corresponding to the item keys. The item for xe2x80x9cconfirmxe2x80x9d may comprise xe2x80x9c$/confirmxe2x80x9d wherein xe2x80x9c$xe2x80x9d represents any other currency, e.g., Yen or Euro, £ etc.
In a third embodiment, the customer operating touch panel may be provided at part of an area of a table like platen, and the rest area of the table-like platen corresponding to the edge of the platen may be provided with a projecting rib which surrounds the rest area.
In a fourth embodiment, the plurality of operating keys may comprise arrayed numeric ten keys which are spaced for entry of numerals 0 to 9, and two keys for thousand digit and ten thousand digit adjacent to the arrayed numeric ten keys, which are spaced for entry of thousand and ten thousand digits, the numeric ten keys and thousand digit and ten thousand digit keys are arrayed in an array on the lower side of the customer operating touch panel. Grooves having a larger width may be provided at positions adjacent to the guide icons corresponding to the arrayed numeric ten keys and the guide icons corresponding to the thousand and ten thousand digit keys. The larger width is set larger than a spacing between the guide icons neighboring each other.
In a fifth embodiment, the plurality of operating keys may comprise arrayed numeric ten keys which are spaced for entry of numerals 0 to 9, and two keys for thousand digit and ten thousand digit adjacent to the arrayed numeric ten keys, which are spaced for entry of thousand and ten thousand digits. The arrayed numeric ten keys and thousand and ten thousand digit keys may be arrayed in an array on the lower side of the customer operating touch panel. Projecting guides having a width larger than a spacing between the guide icons may be provided adjacent to the guide icons corresponding to the arrayed numeric ten keys and the guide icons corresponding to the thousand and ten thousand digit keys.
In a sixth embodiment, a projection for identifying a boundary (interface) between the guide icons corresponding to the keys for entry of numerals xe2x80x9c5xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c6xe2x80x9d may be provided therebetween.
In a seventh embodiment, a braille type portion representing numerals, thousand digit and ten thousand digit may be provided between the arrayed numeric ten keys, the thousand and ten thousand digit key and a plurality of guide icons corresponding thereto.